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SIV
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I've been playing regent games for quite a long time - they provide some challange, but if I don't get killed in the begining (damn expentionist AI civs) I win the game.
(Space race or Domintation most of the time)
I want to start playing monarch game and I understand, from reading here that I HAVE to cahnge my style:
In regent, after some tech trading with the AI in the first age I'm able to research all by myself. - How should I deal with the AI bonuses on monarch?
I also dpn't have large armies in regent games:
Usually several horsemen / swordsmen (depends on the situation) in the first age, about 10-20 knights the next one - and then 15-25 cavalary, And 20-35 infantry later and usually about the same number of tanks and bombers for the last war (I don't like to fight in the modern era) (standart size map) - should I change this? I also hardly have defencive troops unless I'm bordering a VERY powerful AI.
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SIV
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Also: In regent I reasearch always at the maximum I can afford - But you guys somtimes "research pottery at 10% to save money" - tell me more
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Solomwi
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Don King of the Apolyton HLA Movement
Dec 2002
time: 23:35
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Turn the AI bonus to your advantage by letting them do your work. The most obvious way to do this is by choosing techs to research based on what you can trade for the most, rather than what you need or want. The basic priniciple can also be applied to letting the AI found cities for you to take, rather than you "wasting" the time and effort to build and move settlers. While the AI is expanding, you're building up military to take the cities.
I tend to have fairly large armies. Currently, I'm in the mid to late ancient and have 18 MWs and a few spears. I'm still building, too, as that isn't quite big enough for my planned invasion yet. A good rule is to build as much as you can support for free. For support reasons, and a few others, my army explodes in size when I hit the industrial and modern eras.
Research is much more interesting at Monarch, and slowing it down to build up cash reserves for an impending mass upgrade becomes a viable strategy because the AI bonuses make alternate choices more than just luxuries. In other words, at Regent, I can outproduce the hell out of the AI, and simply overwhelm him with inferior units. For that reason, a mass upgrade, say from chariot to horse, isn't a necessity but a luxury. At Monarch, the production advantage isn't as clear cut, so it becomes a strategic choice, rather than a preference. Also, as I mentioned before, tech choice shifts somewhat from "Oooh, swords would be nice!" to "If I research Philosophy, I'll be able to get HBR and IW out of it, plus the free tech.", just for hypothetical purposes. That doesn't rule out the possibility of deciding "I need swords NOW, IW it is.", though.
I applaud your offense/defense balance. Keep the war on the AI's land and it will work beautifully. 
The biggest difference when I moved up was my attitude. Remember Warlord, when you got upset or disappointed if you didn't REX to that spice 6 tiles south of the AI capital, even though you were half a huge continent away or didn't sweep the wonders completely? Remember how you learned to accept some of those happenings when you moved up to Regent, but still got worried if you didn't have a tech lead by the end of the ancient, or didn't get 2 or three ancient wonders? It's a similar adjustment, only moreso. At least it was for me. I learned to pretty much give up ancient wonders, and choose my early medieval wonders instead of trying to sweep them. I also learned to be comfortable without tech dominance ASAP.
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Dominae
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quote:
Originally posted by SIV
Also: In regent I reasearch always at the maximum I can afford - But you guys somtimes "research pottery at 10% to save money" - tell me more |
The 10% Science trick exploits the fact that you will research any tech in 50 turns as long as you contribute at least 1 Beaker to it every turn. If you can afford to wait, it saves you a lot of cash because almost all techs on all difficulty levels cost more than 50 Beakers.
Edit: You may be wondering why 10% Science = 1 Beaker per turn. In general, this is not true because as your cities grow more than one will contribute a Beaker at 10% Science. However, it's still low enough (say, under 80 Gold total) that it's more cost-effective than researching the tech outright. If you find that 10% takes in much more than 1 Beaker per turn, you can always turn a Citizen into a Scientist (2 Beakers per turn flat rate), and put Science to 0%. This slows growth in the city with the Scientist, but costs less Commerce.
However, I would not use this trick with Pottery. You need Pottery pretty fast if you're going to make maximum use of it (i.e. build early Granaries). In a vast majority of cases you will want to build your Granaries before turn 50. Also, as one of the two techs with lowest cost (the other being Ceremonial Burial), Pottery is often researched by the AI pretty fast, the upshot being that you get a nice discount to your research cost if you meet AIs that discover it. This discount does not help you on your 50-turn rate.
The trick is therefore best used on expensive techs the AI is not likely to get before you in 50 turns (Literature, Monarchy, The Republic, etc.).
Last edited by Dominae on 27-07-2004 at 00:34
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Krill
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On a cold wet rock, in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean.
Dec 2003
time: 05:35
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SIV, the best piece of advice you are ever going to hear: "What Dom said" - Solomwi
another trick that helps is to prebuild for the great Library, so when you build it you cut research to 0%, and rake in the cash fr upgrades. If you get Leonardos workshop as well...
BTW, I have a pic of my best ever army and a save (albeit it is conquests, v 1.22)
This is in 470AD, though, (I have yet to use any NMs, because I want to use the GA when I have the FP down.)
SIV, mostly the skills needed for beating monarch are easy to learn: trading and abusing the AI, and micromanaging.
 Attachment: a proper army.jpg
This has been downloaded 89 time(s).
Last edited by Krill on 27-07-2004 at 00:29
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Dominae
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quote:
Originally posted by Krill
er, Dom, a Taxman gives 2 commerce flat rate, a scientist gives 3 beakers, and slows growth so that it is not effective unless you have a maxed out barracks/wonder-producing city
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Two mistakes in the span of 10 minutes...I must be distracted by something! (Although I did mention the slowed growth thing.)
Last edited by Dominae on 27-07-2004 at 00:59
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SIV
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So basicly, if I understand correctly - you can also save money to buy techs from the AI later?
Edit: By researching techs at 10%
Last edited by SIV on 27-07-2004 at 13:34
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Dominae
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quote:
Originally posted by SIV
So basicly, if I understand correctly - you can also save money to buy techs from the AI later?
Edit: By researching techs at 10% |
Yes. Or, more commonly, to upgrade units (Warriors to Swordsmen, Horsemen to Knights, etc.).
Again, I must specify, that you do not want to research too many techs at 10%; more than one is often too many.
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SIV
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So I should still research at maximum-without-loosing-money?
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Arrian
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Kneel before Grog!
Jul 2001
time: 00:35
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quote:
Hey, Arrian, we're famous! |
Apparently so. And, since Krill asked about the use of one of the leaders (which I will pretend was from the unit named for me), I shall answer:
I would use it on the FP. I would push for the Dutch city on a small lake with a fur resource (two cities due west from the current location of the MGL). Or, if the war is going very well (quickly), I might go one more city to the west... although I'd want that one moved. Come to think of it, MEIN GOTT, what horrible AI city spacing! The Dutch should have 6 - 8 more cities than they do, with the same overall territory. And I'm not even a "pack 'em in" type!
-Arrian
Last edited by Arrian on 27-07-2004 at 23:36
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Arrian
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Kneel before Grog!
Jul 2001
time: 00:35
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SIV,
First, small technical correction: in CivIII vanilla, the maximum turns to research a tech is 40, not 50.
So it was a better strategy in CivIII/PTW than it is now in Conquests.
Second, in general the techs you want to do this with are expensive ones. Pottery is the cheapest tech in the game, and furthermore as Dom notes, you kinda want it ASAP to build granaries and fuel your REX. Writing, on the other hand, is expensive as hell and you stand a decent chance of getting it first (or close to it) and trading it about even if you do 40-turn research. The republic is another good one.
When I used 40-turn research, it was for mass unit upgrades (chariot to horse, warrior to sword, or a combination of both). Then I used my military to conquer, generate leaders, and beat tech out of my neighbors. Once I had gotten to parity again (not that hard on Monarch, especially if I got a leader or two for a forbidden palace and a key wonder), I'd crank up my own research.
Now, in Conquests, it's different. I'm typically researching flat-out, hoping for SGLs and building up my own empire, before going a-conquering. My fighting in the ancient age has been reduced, for the most part, to settler bopping.
-Arrian
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SIV
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Lossing my first monarch game . . .
The 3 AI civs surrouding me are ahead in tech, have military units (I don't - only exploring worriors), they also had 5 cities each when I had 2 - I build granries - but now I have no where to expand . . .
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SIV
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I think I', getting a bit better now - I connected iron and built 3 Ligionaries who conquered 2 cities near me - I've recieved 2 techs and much gold in the peace treaty . . . I'm still the smallest gau around so I'll spend my GA building some more Liginaries and hope for a leader to build Piramyds / Great Library / FP - or should I build an army to get the eipc - since UI'm going to do much fighting
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